“With my lips have I declared all the judgments [Hebrew, mishpât, act of deciding a legal case] of Thy mouth” (Psalm 119:13 KJV). No wonder our NT conception of the pharisees and their preoccupation with the Law — it was because the nature of the Law is legal. They merely had forgotten the real nature of the Law was to “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). We need to beware of their same pitfall, since even the Apostolic Ephesian Church was already reprimanded for having “left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). Cases decided in the Courts of Heaven will play out “in Earth, as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). That is the crucial point. The verdicts of the Courts of Heaven are binding on us below. And, to our amazement, Jesus has covenanted, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (18:18). As if we would be given status in the Courts of Heaven to present cases, which the Judge of All the Earth would consider binding upon all concerned. If an earthly, unjust judge would pass judgment for a widow crying out against her adversary in a human court, “Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?” (Luke 18:7). God’s judgments then are more than His complaints against humanity, but they represent our right to petition Him for redress for the injustices not simply of humanity against humanity, but of our Adversary’s unjust holding of the people of this world in spiritual ignorance and the Church in our ignorance of what the Messiah Jesus has come to accomplish. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Isaiah 61:1-2). Father, cause us to walk in understanding of Your Law, that we would not stumble, where teachers more intelligent than ourselves have fallen, when they beheld with their eyes Your Son. Have mercy upon Israel, and have mercy upon us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
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Teach Me Thy Statutes (Psalm 119:12)
“Blessed art Thou, O LORD: teach me Thy statutes” (Psalm 119:12 KJV). This is God’s teachable moment for His children. It starts with the LORD’s happiness, for blessed means happy in both the OT and NT. In a right relationship with God, our righteousness is to seek to make God happy, for right relationship and righteousness are interchangeable. When our goal is to make the Teacher happy, then we best are able to learn the curriculum of His Word. And, unlocking the power of God’s Word is valuable for every situation of our life. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2Timothy 3:16-17). It is never too late to learn! Blessed Father, make today my day to learn of Your Word and its application to every situation of my life. May my children and their children learn the righteousness of making You happy, for when You are happy, then we are happy. Lord Jesus, return quickly and deliver us. Amen and amen.
Love Is Patient
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NET). God is love (1John 4:8, 16), and it is possibly the first concept we try to impress upon the young minds of our children. But, we need to continually remind ourselves of that, as well. That takes patience. The kind of patience that comes from the love God’s Spirit puts in our heart, when we realize all the things He has done, is doing, and will do for our good. How can we not love Him and do it patiently forever?
“35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39
Father, You are the God of All Patience to deal with all we’ve put You through. We thank You and are grateful You have not given up on us, even though we have been so slow to realize all the good You are and what You are doing for us. Glorify Your name. Take away our blindness that You would get the praise, honor, and glory for what You have done. Cause us to grow in our love and appreciation of You that we would not simply be a noisy, clanging cymbal without understanding of You. Lord Jesus, return quickly, we need You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
Resist the Devil
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 KJV). Submission to God gains His protection. Only then we can carry out any strategy to resist the wicked one. Since Christ’s shed blood on the Cross gains us the forgiveness of our sins, then it alone can defeat the power of Satan over us. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). Satan counts upon us being overcome by the allurement of the world. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1John 2:16).
He knows, if he can only get us to commit one sin, then we have already begun the destructive practice of sin. And, “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34 NKJV). What breaks the cycle of sin? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9 KJV). Based upon Christ substituting His suffering on the Cross for our sins, He paid the “wages of sin” (Romans 6:23), which is “death” (6:23), and He can then forgive us, if we repent. By faith, we accept His payment for ourselves, repent of our sins, and proclaim our loyalty to Christ before the world, which is done at baptism, then we are raised in faith as newborn members of Christ’s Body, which is the Church. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). So, resisting the devil begins our victory, but the Holy Spirit given to us is the real source of our overcoming the devil and sin. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Father, You have made faith so simple, a child can believe. May our childlike confidence in You cause us to resist the devil, that he would flee from even us. Make it to be so. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.
Not Leave You Comfortless
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18 KJV). Jesus was about to fulfill His earthly mission of dying for our sins upon the Cross. He would rise from the dead and ascend back into Heaven, then He would send us His Spirit — the Paraklete or Comforter. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you” (16:7). What is this Comforter? “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another [Greek, allos, another of the same kind] Comforter [Greek, paraklētos, advocate], that He may abide with you for ever” (14:16). Jesus was assuring us He would send us His Spirit to advocate for us, just as He did and does for us before the Father. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1John 2:1). A Paraclete or Advocate for the Christian is the direct opposite of our adversary the devil, who is the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10).
We need to get it into our understanding, “The LORD is on my [our] side” (Psalm 118:6). He is a holy God, who has chosen us to be His people, “because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2Thessalonians 2:13). And, if you are not convinced you are chosen, then read this description of yourself here: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1Corinthians 1:27). There! God has chosen you. If the Spirit of God can persuade us of that truth, then the wicked one cannot succeed in his prosecution against us. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We have Jesus’ promise, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18), which gives us His Indwelling Spirit. Ever wonder why the NT makes such a big thing out of “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38)? Because that baptismal declaration to “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus” (Romans 10:9) declares your loyalty to Christ in front of humanity (not just the angels), for which He grants you the “gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
The Holy Spirit is not simply a ghostly presence, but the active source of all God’s gifts to us, as His children. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13). (1) All of the Spiritual Gifts given for the ministry of the Church, are given through the Holy Spirit, i.e., “It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as He decides to each person, who produces all these things” (1 Corinthians 12:1 NET). (2) The Holy Spirit must guide our praying, since we really don’t know how to pray as we ought — just get your prayer started and trust the Holy Spirit is making suggestions to your mind, i.e., “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit [Himself] maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). This only introduces a small part of the comfort, which we are given through the Holy Spirit.
Father, cause us to be encouraged that You are advocating for us and not simply plotting against us to catch us in our too often sins. May we give you the credit for the Comfort You Are to us. May we volunteer to be on Your side, since You are doing so much to be on our side. We love You, and ask that You would cause us to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18). Glorify Your name. And, Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
Tomorrow Ready, Today Prepare
“The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:1 KJV). God looks not at the outward, but the heart. We take strides to be prepared for emergencies, only to find our attempts often fall short. Yet, when Jesus rallies us, “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44), it is only because readiness is a command not optional. And, God’s commands are never impossible (1John 5:3). If we are in preparation for tomorrow, already we are in a right state of heart. Only God’s Spirit is able to make us walk in obedience today and keep us ready tomorrow. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Father, may we aspire to walk in a right hearted state, ready for Your Son’s soon appearing. Cause our understanding and appreciation of You to grow that it may answer all the practical needs for our walk and holiness. Lord Jesus, return quickly. Amen and amen.
Intimacy With God Through Obedience
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1Corinthians 10:13 KJV). God’s promises reveal God to us, sanctify us, and make us more like Christ. For God’s enemies, God’s promises mystify them, threaten them, and harden them against Christ, unless the Spirit can reach them. A “temptation [Greek, peirasmos, putting to proof]” (10:13) is God allowing you to be put to proof, in order that you might have the intimate experience of obeying God. Obviously, God already knows how we will respond, but He knows our correct response will draw us closer to Himself and make us more like Him. Even Jesus, when He was tempted, became more like the Father. “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Temptations may be directed against us from our adversary the devil to destroy us, but “God is faithful” (1Corinthians 10:13) in using that to build us. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20). God knows our breaking point — how much we can take before we sin — and will not “suffer [Greek, eaō, permit]” (1Corinthians 10:13) us to be tempted above or beyond what “ye are able” (10:13). That is the faithfulness of God. “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it” (1Thessalonians 5:24). Our confidence is God will always give us “a way to escape [Greek, ekbasis, exit, way out], that ye may be able to bear it” (1Corinthians 10:13) to keep us from sinning; after all, He is a Holy God. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). Satan tempts to our destruction, but God tests for our sanctification. Finally, we need to be careful not to despise God for testing us (Exodus 20:20), allowing us to be tempted (James 1:13), reproving us (Hebrews 12:5), or chastening us (Proverbs 3:11), since He means it for our good. Do we trust Him for that? Most certainly, we will have our opportunity to prove the faithfulness of God! Father, You are the Faithful God, who will exercise us for Your glory; and, we know You will draw us to Yourself by demonstrating how we will obey You, for when You are happy, we are happy. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
What Can Your Living Jesus Do?
That our dead Mohammad can’t? (1948). Spoken to Paris Reidhead, Jr., a Christian missionary in Northern Africa among the adherents of Islam. Legitimate question. My answer: Righteousness. Islam may reply: Anyone can claim to have righteousness. I would respond: That is true, but since the Living God is the only Source of True Righteousness — “O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee” (Daniel 9:7 KJV) — righteousness can only be found in a right relationship with Him.
It is true of any religion, any attempt to establish righteousness simply by means of keeping commandments is self-righteousness. When anyone attempts to prove to themselves their righteousness based upon the keeping of commandments and not their love, devotion, and attachment to the Living God, then we are self-righteous. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3). If the Jews, who had the Law, could be found guilty of unrighteousness, then that is a demonstration that righteousness is not a devotion to keeping commandments, but a devotion to the person of the Living God.
Not simply the Jew or follower of Islam, but we who name the name of Christ fall into the deception of heart to judge our righteousness as rule keeping. Foremost, we need to return to love and devotion of God with a continual heart seeking of Christ. “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:7).
All religious philosophies and personal practices must stand to be judged by God for valuing even the keeping of commandments more highly than God and a right relationship to Himself. But, how does this convince the Islamic questioner of Paris Reidhead (1948)? That is the job of the Holy Spirit. “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). If anyone is to be converted to the righteousness of Jesus Christ, then the Holy Spirit must do the convincing. Preach and teach the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and a right relationship with Him, and let the Spirit of God be let loose to do His convincing work, His wonderful work, His awesome work, His soul cleansing, world changing work, bring in the Kingdom of God work. He has been waiting all this time for us to understand and ask Him to do it!
LORD, You are righteous in all Your ways and holy in all Your works (Psalm 145:17). Convert whomsoever You will, for unto You belongs all the glory, power, and honor. Magnify Your name. Transform this world. Bring to pass Your Kingdom on this Earth. Lord Jesus, return quickly. Amen and amen.
Only Whole-Hearted Seekers Prevented From Wandering (Psalm 119:10)
“With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments” (Psalm 119:10 KJV). Every young person should aspire to walk in obedience to God’s Word. Nothing at all should be surprising about God’s expectations of us. None of us would expect or care for anyone approaching us half-heartedly or insincerely. Others may deal with us deceitfully, but God sets the standard for appropriate conduct. God expects from us the same sincerity of conduct, which He gives us. “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). God’s history of dealing with us has been to keep us from wandering from Him. God Only Wise has arranged His dealings with us to gain not simply our outward obedience, but our heartfelt love for Him. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not” (Luke 13:34). The Atonement revealed His heart to us. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Yahweh has always known we need a progressive revelation of Himself, since too much at once would overpower us. “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.” (1Corinthians 3:2).
In these NT times, we have access to God’s greatest gift beyond the Atonement — the gift of His Spirit to inspire our obedience. “I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27 ). We need to believe and act like we already have everything we need to live a godly, well-pleasing life. “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2Peter 1:3). Father, You have already given us the forgiveness of our sins through Your Son’s death on the Cross, and we now have the assistance of Your Holy Spirit to live an obedient, well-pleasing life. Help us to resist the wicked one and overcome the temptation to give in to the world. Make us a walking testimony of Your grace and truth. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Nobody Knows How Long
Why Do We Not Study Prophecy, If It Is So Important?
How Long? (4:34) is a song expressing what every child vocalizes to their parent about the future, but isn’t that the essence of Bible prophecy?
Didn’t see it coming, and when the calamity of the invasion of Judah happened, no prophet was at hand giving words of understanding, comfort, and deliverance, at least, as far as this Psalmist could see. “We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name for ever?” (Psalm 74:9-10 KJV). Of course, we live in different times, but you can see how knowing what has happened, is happening, and is going to happen, practically benefits the people of God. It is intrinsic to human nature to ask, “How long?” Children want to know on a trip, “Are we their yet?” More than a dozen times in the Book of Psalms alone, the Psalmist raises the question, “How long?” In the wisdom of God, He has provided prophecy to answer this question; again, why are we not studying prophecy?
But, you say, “Anybody can make a wild prediction about the Terminal Generation, when Jesus is supposed to rapture His Church and come back. What happens, when nothing happens? Doesn’t it do more harm than good for the cause of Christ? Shouldn’t we be more encouraging people how to live for Christ than giving them confusing instructions that might not take place? Wasn’t all prophecy practically fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, anyway? Besides, didn’t Jesus say no one knows when He will return? Shouldn’t we just emphasize there will one day be a New Heaven and New Earth and let it happen whenever it happens, no matter how long it takes?”
[Scan ahead. This is a longer entry, but not too long.]
First, Predictive Prophecy (prophecies that predict a specific outcome) are found in 8,352 verses of the Bible (27% of Scripture), according to J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy. 256 verses (63%) of the Book of Revelation, written by the Apostle John about 96 AD (long after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD), were predictions. “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come” (John 16:13).
Second, God is indisputably the source of all true prophecy. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Prophecy proves the veracity of God and His Scripture. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:21).
Third, prophecy, like all the other Scripture, testifies of Christ. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). The purpose of prophecy is to bear testimony to Jesus, which then is the “revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1), so then the “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (19:10).
Fourth, prophecy must have a purifying effect upon the Church of Christ, or it is being studied for the wrong reasons. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
Fifth, prophecy must be proven to each disciple by the Holy Spirit from personal examination of the Word of God. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1Thessalonians 5:21). Never take anyone’s word about Scripture without proving it to your own satisfaction. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).
Sixth, if the Devil knows Jehovah’s predictions for the future, won’t he oppose God’s plans and work to keep us ignorant of what God is trying to accomplish in human history? Yes, our adversary does not want us to know God’s prophecies, because he doesn’t want us opposing his diabolical plans. If Satan knows the physical seed of Eve would produce Christ, then he will oppose the physical lineage that produced Jesus Christ, and will work to establish his own physical seed, potentially in the Antichrist. A prophecy concerning Christ and the Antichrist: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). The devil would not have crucified Jesus, if he understood God’s plan. “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1Corinthians 2:8).
For example, how would the Wise Men of the Christmas Story even know of a Promised Messiah, if Daniel, the chief of “all the wise men of Babylon” had not told them (Daniel 2:48; 5:11)? And, how could Daniel know about the physical birth of a Messiah had not Micah earlier predicted it (Micah 5:2)? And, why would Micah be prophesying of the physical birth of a coming deliverer, if he did not think there was truth to Yahweh’s pronouncement of a future physical seed and lineage from Eve (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 132:11)? Why were Simeon and Anna even looking for the birth of a Hebrew male child unless they believed the Predictive Prophecy of Daniel (Luke 2:25-38)? And, if it took the understanding of Predictive Prophecy to appreciate, cooperate, and coordinate with the Messiah’s First Advent for the purpose of our salvation (“but not for Himself” Daniel 9:25-26), how can we not study prophecy to pray (Ezekiel 36:37), prepare, cooperate, and coordinate (Matthew 6:10) with Yahweh for the Second Advent of the Conquering Messiah to set up His earthly Millennial Kingdom (Daniel 7:14)?
Seventh, no one is allowed to set dates, when Christ is supposed to return, i.e., “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power” (Acts 1:7). Even if we think we know anything about the time of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot absolutely know it, for even the Son has divinely covenanted with the Father not to know. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32).
Eighth, it is fruitless not to study prophecy because misunderstandings, contentions, false prophets, and the False Prophet will come anyway. “It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come” (Luke 17:1).
Ninth, without a proper understanding of prophecy, the Church will not have a clear understanding of how to set the battle in array for the End Times. Who is on the LORD’s side, and who is the enemy? “He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30).
Tenth, without the ability to distinguish between ‘taking God at His word’ as opposed to ‘taking God literally, as opposed to figuratively,’ the Church will build prejudices and obstacles to understanding Prophetic Predictions. “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).
Eleventh, but still, without the ability to appreciate figurative or poetic language, the Church will lose the ability to make Spirit-filled applications of God’s Prophecies, which results in legalism and loveless service of God. “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4).
Twelfth, but doesn’t Jesus’ Olivet Discourse plainly indicate Christ’s prophecies were referring to the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans, i.e., “when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies” (Luke 21:20), thus bringing to a practical conclusion all the prophecies? True, Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount may lend itself to that interpretation, but Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount gives us the additional understanding “when ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place” (Matthew 24:15), indicating a double fulfillment and future time, yet to come.
Father, You are the God of all prophecy, and You know we want to know how long, so we can cooperate with the return of Your Son. May our prayer, Thy kingdom come, be accompanied by our heartfelt, Thy will be done, that there would be great gain for Your kingdom. Help us to block off all means of the enemy taking advantage of us and using us against You. We need Your Spirit’s intervention. Through You, we shall do valiantly! Lord Jesus, return quickly. Amen and amen.
For a more developed discussion of Christ’s Olivet Discourse, the difference between the Preterist view that prophecy was fulfilled essentially by the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the Futurist view of a yet to be prophetic fulfillment of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, see our article, Two Olivet Discourses?
We Need A Miracle 
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